Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney boasts a double-digit lead in South Carolina, according to two polls released on Tuesday, with former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich his nearest competitor.
The polls, conducted by Insider Advantage and Monmouth University, both found Romney with an 11-point lead, having broken into the 30 percent range in the “First in the South” primary state. The Insider Advantage poll has Romney at 32 percent, followed by Gingrich at 21 percent, Ron Paul at 14 percent and Rick Santorum at 13 percent. The results of the Monmouth University poll were similar, putting Romney at 33 percent, Gingrich at 22 percent, Santorum at 14 percent and Paul at 12 percent.
Both polls were conducted over the weekend, prior to former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman dropping out of the race on Monday. Huntsman received 6 percent in the Insider Advantage poll and 4 percent in the Monmouth poll. Those votes are likely to go to Romney.
The polls also do not factor in Romney’s performance in Monday night’s debate in Myrtle Beach, which was seen as not exemplary. (RELATED: Santorum knocks Mitt off his game with question on felons’ voting rights)
Romney boasts strong support from independents, getting 30.1 percent of the vote from that group. He also does particularly well with the 65-and-over age group, 42.1 percent of whom said they would vote for him if the election were held today. He does most poorly among 18-29 year olds, who are split between Paul and Santorum. (RELATED: Benefit or bane: Paul’s Democratic, independent coalition)
Perry, who polls at a mere 6 percent in both polls, is actually the strongest candidate among black voters, 35.9 percent of whom said they would vote for him, compared to 23.8 percent who said they would vote for Huntsman and an equal number for Romney.
The Insider Advantage poll was conducted on Sunday, Jan. 15 and surveyed 720 likely voters. The Monmouth University poll was conducted from Jan. 12 through January 15 and surveyed 963 likely voters.